AMD Vega And RYZEN System Caught On Video Ripping Through Doom At 4K Ultra Settings Over 60FPS

Last month, we gave you architectural details on RYZEN (the CPU artist formally known as Zen), which is AMD’s latest attempt to directly challenge Intel’s dominance in the high-end desktop processor market. Based on a 14nm FinFET process, RYZEN will be available in 8-core, 16-thread SKUs with 3.4+ GHz clock speeds and 20MB of total cache (4MB L2 + 16MB L3). The complimentary AM4 motherboards using the X300 and X370 chipsets bring support for all the latest computing technologies including DDR4 memory, PCIe Gen 3, USB 3.1 Gen 2 and NVMe.

Just today, we made you privy to all that we know about the upcoming Vega graphics architecture. Also manufactured using a 14nm FinFET processors, Vega uses HBM2 memory, which has a 50 percent smaller foot print than cards using GDDR5. The new GPU also has an all-new Geometry Pipeline that boosts throughput-per-clock 2x compared to previous generation architecture. Needless to say, AMD is confident that Vega will be able to compete with whatever NVIDIA can dish out during 2017.

So, what happens when you combine RYZEN with Vega? As we witnessed today at CES, you get gaming goodness. AMD showed one of the first prototype Vega boards running Doom on a RYZEN system. The game was configured to run at a punishing 4K resolution with Ultra image quality settings. The kickass combination of high-end hardware was able to push over 70 FPS in some spots, and easily maintained FPS within the 60 to 70 FPS range throughout the rest of the gaming session with no slowdowns or stuttering.

This an impressive first showing for RYZEN and Vega, and we can’t wait until retail products begin shipping out (and hopefully we’ll have review samples well before that time arrives). RYZEN is expected to ship during Q1 2017, while we expect to see Vega graphics cards sometime during the first half of 2017.